Air conditioner



Sept. 19, 1933.

F. HANDS AIR GONDITIONER Q3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 19, 1933. F HANDS1,927,607

AIR CONDITIONER Filed t. l5 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fil-'f5 sept'. 19,'1933. F. HANDS 1,927,607

' AIR coNDITIoNER Filed Sept. 13, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 72 Je 72 '6071.' freq fa 71 CIS,

Patented Sept. 19', .1933

1,927,601 AIR coNDrrloNEa Fred Hands, Oak Park, Ill.

Application September 13, 1930 serial No. 481,185

Application September 13, 1930 My invention relates more particularly toapparatus for conditioning air by subjecting it to the lter and showeraction of water as for humidifying and cleansing the air or cooling andcleansing it.

One of my objects is to provide a novel, simple, economical andeffective construction of apparatus of the character above stated.

Another object is to provide such an apparatus for use in connectionwith a hot-air furnace and which will operate preferably to effectforcing the crculation of air through the furnace to theregister-supplying pipe, or pipes, thereof.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for use in a hot-air furnacestructure for circulating moist warm air in cold weather and circulatingcool air in warm weather; and other objects as will be manifest from thefollowing description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a hotair furnace equipped withan air conditioner constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken at the line 2-2 on Fig. 1 and viewed in thedirection of the arrows.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan section taken at the line 3-3 on Fig. 2 andviewed in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4, an enlarged section taken at the line 4--4 on Fig. 2 andviewed in the direction of the arrows.

In accordance with the preferred, illustrated, embodiment of myinvention, the air conditioner, provided as a unit for connection with ahot-air furnacesuch as the furnace shown at 5, is represented at 6.

The air conditioner shown comprises a casing 'I as of sheet metal andshown of rectangular form, the casing containing a horizontal partition8 dividing the space within the casing into upper and lower compartments9 and 10, respectively, in communication through an opening 11 in thepartition 8.

The compartment 9 in the installing of the air conditioner with thefurnace 5 would be connected at one end with the source ofcold-air-supply for the furnace, as for example to the cold air ductthrough which the air is supplied to the furnace for heating and returnto the rooms of the building, in a furnace of the air-circulating type,such connection being made, as for example at thecircular-ilange-equipped opening 12 in the end wall of the compartment 9opposite that adjacent the opening 11.

The compartment 10 at the end thereof adja- .producing 'a showering centthe opening 12 connects, at an opening 13, with the annular space in thefurnace surrounding the fire pot thereof and through which the airascends for heating to the hot-air-distributing pipes 5a of the furnace.60

Journalled to extend in, and crosswise of, the compartment 9 between itsinlet 12 and outlet 11, is a drum 14 the cylindrical side Wall 15 andthe end walls 16 of which are perforated, these walls being preferablymade of wire mesh the openings between the strands of the wires of themesh forming perforations. The mesh forin-` ing the end walls 16 ispreferably about onefourth inch and the mesh of the side wall 15 aboutone-half inch.

The drum shown is provided about the inner surface of its side wall 15with a circular series of flange-members 15a extending substantially thefull length of the wall 15 and each connected at one edge with the wall15 and inclining at its 75 free edge away from the wall 15 as shown,thesel flange-members 15a being of perforated form as for example bymaking them of wire mesh, about one-fourth inch mesh being preferred.

In the operation of the apparatus to subject air flowing through thecompartment 9, as by the means hereinafter described, to the actionofwater on the drum, water is supplied thereto preferably from a baththereof located in a pan 1'? sup-A ported on the partition 8 and intowhich the drum partially extends as shown, means, hereinafter described,being provided for continuously rotating the drum at a relatively slowspeed for carrying water up into the path of the air flowing through thecompartment 9, for impingement 90 by the air.

The drum not only carries up water on its side and end-walls, the waterat many of the openings in the mesh of which these walls are formedforming a film spanning the openings, but by reason of the provision ofthe flange-members 15, carries 'up an additional supply -of water whichthe air engages in passing through the openings in the members 15", theexcess water flowing off the free edges of the members 15* and of waterin the drum which also is contacted by the air.

The compartment 9 also contains a framework 9* shown as of sheet metallocated between the axis of the drum 14 and the inlet 12 and serving toconfine the air flowing in the compartment 9 for passage through thewalls of the drum.

Located in the compartment 10 is a blower 18 shown as of the centrifugaltype its inlets 19, at opposite sides of the blower, communicating with110 .to and throughthe distributing pipes tothel rooms of the building.u l

I'he blower 418 and drum .14 are v.shown as operated by a single powerdevice in the form of an electric motor 21 mounted in the compartment10. The amature shaft 22 of the motor u is provided with a pulley 23which connects, by

an endless belt 24, with a 26 of the rotor 27 of the, 26 is alsoprovided with a relatively small pulley (not shown) connected by anendless belt 28 with a pulley 29 on a counter shaft 30 journalled pulleyon the shaft blower 18. yThe shaft on the blower 18, the shaft 30 alsobeing provided with a relativelysmall pulley 31 connectedv by an endlessbelt 32 with a pulley 33 mounted on the drum concentrically with itsaxis.v The motor 21 thus simultaneously operates the blower and the drumrotating the former at the relatively high speed desired and the drum atrelatively low speed. f y

It will be understood from the foregoing that the air drawn throughtnewaus `ofthe drum' water service pipe,

14 and through the flange-members 15s and the shower of water'producedin the'drum as statedv is subjected to the action of the water forhumidifying and cleansing the air, and that by reason thereof theapparatus is caused to function in a highly eiiicient manner to humidifyand cleanse the air, the particles removed from the air by the vwatergravitating into the pan y17 from which they may be removed in anydesirable Way.

The air conditioner is preferably provided with `means for maintaining apredetermined depth of bath inthe pan 17 at all times, these meansv inthe construction shown comprising a pipe 34 opening intoy the bottom ofthe pan 17 and provided with a shut-oil' valve 35 between which and thetank a. water supply pipe 36 is connected, the pipe 36 opening intov afloat-valve controlling device represented at 37 and which may be of anysuitable construction and in communication with a water supply pipe asfor example an'ordinary the valve mechanism 37 operating to control thelevel of the lwater inthe pan 17. An overflow pipe 38 opens into'theupper portion of the pan 17 and connects vwith the pipe 34 beyond-thevalve 35 to prevent accidental overiiow of the water from the pan 17. s.

In thefnormal operation of the apparatus the `valve 35 would be closed,and opened only when it is desired to drain the pan 17', the servicepipe leading' to the valve mec anism'37 containing a shut-oifvalve ytoclose the supply of'water tol use of the apparatus with a hot airfurnace duringy cold weather, the air for circulation through the rooms;is supplied to the furnace in humidii'led and cleansed condition andwhen used with the furnace in cold condition in the summer time servesto distribute .through the pipes 5*JL of the furnace cooled and cleansedair. By preference the partition 8vcontains an opening 39'forward ofthedrum 14. and controlled by a damper 40 hinged by a rod 41 accessible foroperation outside of the casing, at a crank 42 thereon. Thisvvalve-controlled opening 39 is provided for controllably diverting moreor less of the air as, and if, desired from passage through the drum 14andvthus directlyinto the compartment 10.

While I haveillustrated and described a particular embodiment of myinvention I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit itthereto as the same may be variously modifiedy and altered withouteparting from the spirit of my invention. I

What Iclaim as new, Letters Patent, is:

An air-conditioner and desir'e `to by opening.

, FRED HANDS.

- the "pipe V36when it is desiredthat the pan be Y j The apparatus shownserves to eiectthe desired circulation of air through the rooms to beheated or cooled, as the case may be.v In the etv

